SYRACUSE -- "There's no such thing as a proud queer." Those words, scribbled across the front of the ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse's Hawley Green neighborhood, have neighbors talking.

Rose Viviano noticed the anti-gay graffiti when she came into work Tuesday morning. She opened her gallery two years ago and says this is a first. Viviano believes the slur is in response to a poster on display in her front window. "Kind of below where the graffiti is written it says, 'Generation Q Young, Proud, Queer', so obviously the graffiti is some kind of response to the poster thats been in there," says Rose.

Those who pass by and catch the slur are quick to say it's untrue and unacceptable. Phyllis Vadala says, "Especially in this neighborhood which is so gay friendly, and so diverse, and so embracing of people of all walks of life, it is a little disconcerting."

While Rose says the graffiti is unappreciated on the front of the building, she does run an art gallery and says she is going to take the negative words and turn them into a work of art. "We decided to leave this graffiti up so we could start some community dialogue about it. There are people in the community who want to come here and put up pictures of gay people who are proud of being gay, particularly young people," says Rose

Friday evening, Viviano is holding an event for neighbors to have their picture taken and turn the front of the building into art.